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Kamen Rider Series
The is the overall name of a franchise of Japanese tokusatsu. The franchise began in 1971 with a show titled Kamen Rider which followed college student Takeshi Hongo and his quest to defeat Shocker. Over the years, the popularity of the franchise has grown and the original series has spawned many television and theatrical sequels. The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in Akimasa Nakamura naming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Kamen Rider, and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series, itself.Dictionary of Minor Planet Names by Lutz D. Schmadel, 2003, published by Springer in Germany, ISBN: 3-540-00238-3 pages 781, 788 History Shōwa era The Kamen Rider Series originally began under the title "Masked Hero Project". Produced by , the series spent nearly five years on hold while Hirayama worked on other shows and searched for a proper character designer. In 1969, Shotaro Ishinomori, who was a known face in tokusatsu at the time, was approached by Hirayama to have his Skull Man manga adapted for the Masked Hero Project. Originally the project was rejected due to criticisms that it was too violent for the timeslot it was given. After the duo reworked the story and designs, the final Kamen Rider design, a Grasshopper, was chosen by Ishinomori's son. This drawing would go on to become the original Kamen Rider 1, after some modification. Kamen Rider premiered on April 3 1971, to lower than expected ratings, and verged on the brink of cancellation. During the filming of episode 10, Fujioka Hiroshi, the actor of Kamen Rider, was thrown off his motorcycle during the filming of a stunt. Crashing into a telephone pole, he shattered both his legs. Toei then went through many methods to have Hongo appear less and less until episode 13, when Ichimonji Hayato was introduced. Until episode 52 when Fujioka Hiroshi returned, Ichimonji Hayato was Kamen Rider and the star of the show. Upon his return in episode 53, Hongo became the main character once more. Both Kamen Riders 1 and 2 would go on to appear in every show in the first half of the Shōwa era. The continuous run from April 1971 to January 1976 distinguished itself by featuring the recurrent mentor character, . After a four year hiatus, the series returned to television broadcast in October 1979 for two years. In these new shows, the role of Tachibana was replaced by a similar character named . Airing in 1984, the Kamen Rider special, Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!!, became the last project in the franchise to be produced by Hirayama. Kamen Rider was the first series that neither indicated nor hinted at any relationship with its predecessors. Kamen Rider BLACK was the first show in the franchise to feature a direct sequel, Kamen Rider BLACK RX, the basis of Saban's Americanized ''Masked Rider''. RX's finale showed the ten previous Riders return to help BLACK RX defeat the Crisis Empire. This is the last time any Rider from a previous show would appear in another series. Kamen Rider BLACK RX was the final show to be produced during the Shōwa era, its broadcast spanning from the Shōwa era and into the beginning of the Heisei era. Heisei era Being completely absent from television during the 1990s, the franchise was kept alive mainly by stage shows, musical CDs, and the ''Shin'', Kamen Rider, and Kamen Rider movies, though many fans classify the movies as part of the Showa series as they treat Ishinomori's passing the pinnacle of the Showa era. Toei announced its new project, Kamen Rider, in May of 1999. Kuuga was part of a Kamen Rider rebirth that Ishinomori had worked on in 1997, planning for a leadup into the 30th anniversary. However, Ishinomori passed away before he could see these shows materialize. During the summer of 1999, Kuuga became publicized through magazine ads and commercials. On January 30, 2000, Kamen Rider Kuuga premiered to high ratings, which would throughout the anniversary series, Kamen Rider Agito. It had three main Riders, Agito, Gills and G3. Agito also began the trend of having the ending theme song play during the climactic scene instead of the end credits (this would be briefly broken in Hibiki). The third series in the Heisei era was Kamen Rider Ryuki. Using the concept of thirteen Riders, Ryuki took a turn away from previous series, however, resulting in lower than expected ratings. The series and franchise as a whole was helped to continue in large part due to the toy sales of Kamen Rider Ryuki. The next series, Kamen Rider 555 (pronounced Phi's), continued with strong toy sales and slightly lower ratings than Ryuki. The fifth and six series were plagued with behind the scenes problems. Kamen Rider Blade has become the second lowest rated Kamen Rider series as well as being noted for poor toy sales. The Riders transform using Undead Cards to seal more Undead and power up into various forms. During the course of the series, the main writer and director crew were fired to allow franchise veterans to return as main writers. Kamen Rider Hibiki, the sixth series, became one of the most controversial series in the history of the franchise. Introducing new themes and taking on a different look, while the series broke the chain of each series having lower ratings than the last since Agito, its toy sales were relatively low. As with Blade, a new directing and writing team was brought onto the show during the midterm of the series. Later on in 2005, Kamen Rider The First was produced. The movie was an original reimagining of both the manga and original television series. Various characters from the original series had their storylines altered to fit the time span of the movie. Masaya Kikawada portrays Kamen Rider 1 and Hassei Takano (previously Kamen Rider Raia in Ryuki) as Kamen Rider 2. In 2006, Kamen Rider Kabuto, the seventh series, celebrated the 35th anniversary of the show. The series brought back many conventional aesthetic conventions of the Kamen Rider legacy with bug-themed designs. The main Riders were Kabuto, Gatack, TheBee, Sasword, Drake, Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper. Kabuto was one of the most successful Heisei-era Kamen Rider series. The year 2007 brought Kamen Rider Den-O, the eighth series, taking a turn from past Kamen Rider series, introducing a Kamen Rider that is completely unsure of himself. The series marks the first time a mecha has been used in the franchise, the Den-Liner; a bullet train that can travel through time that also houses weaponry designed to combat the giant versions of Imagin (this series' kaijin) called Gigandeaths. This series only had two Riders, Den-O and Zeronos, but they had multiple forms that they could switch between, similar to BLACK RX, Kuuga, and Agito. Due to the large popularity of Den-O, a second theatrical production, crossing over with the 2008 series Kamen Rider Kiva was released in theaters April 12, 2008. In addition, Animate is producing an OVA tentatively titled Imagin Anime that features SD versions of the Imagin that are contracted to Den-O and Zeronos that have been featured in the company's other Den-O products. The actor who played the protagonist role claimed it was because of the series' comedy. There was also a sequel to Kamen Rider The First in 2007, entitled Kamen Rider The Next, based on the events of Kamen Rider V3. It featured Kazuki Kato (previously Kamen Rider Drake in Kabuto) portraying Kamen Rider V3. Kikawada and Takano reprise their roles as Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2. In 2009, Kamen Rider Decade, was introduced as a tenth anniversery for the Heisei Era, featuring the title character traveling to other worlds to save them and recover his memories. There are two movies that serve as an epilouge: Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker and Kamen Rider Decade: Final Chapter. This series is noted for having the shortest running time as a television series, running for only 31 episodes compared to other series, who have run generally for over 40 episodes. In late 2009, Kamen Rider W was introduced as the eleventh addition of the Heisei Era, featuring the title characters star as detectives investigating crime waves about kaijin known as Dopants in the fictional city of Futo. Like much of the previous entries of the Heisei Era, the titular Rider, Kamen Rider Double, can transformed into multiple forms, using devices shaped like USB hard drives called Gaia Memories. The Dopants that they fight are really people that use unrefined Gaia Memories for their own purposes. Double is also the first Kamen Rider to transform from two people at once. This series is also the first instance where the show airs on the same day it's predecessor (in this case, Decade) airs it's finale. In late 2010, Kamen Rider OOO was introduced as the twelvth addition of the Heisei Era Kamen Rider Series. The title character is a world traveler that is pulled into a fight with kaijin called the Greeed that was resurrected from a 800-year sleep to find themselves incomplete by such a Greeed, reduced to the status of a forearm, who gives him the means to transform into Kamen Rider OOO. Like Kamen Riders BLACK RX to Agito, and Den-O to Double, Kamen Rider OOO can change forms, but unlike the others, OOO can transform using three Core Medals, special coin-based artifacts based on animals that make up a Greeed's ability to stay alive without falling apart. There are nine Core Medals for each set, three each designated for Head, Arms, or Legs. As so far, OOO has the most transformations in Kamen Rider history, having able to use a possible 126 different combinations of Core Medals. Series overview Although each entry in the series is different, each one shares similar traits with one and another. All generally involve at least one young adult male transforming into a Kamen Rider to fight various monsters and organizations linked to that specific Kamen Rider's origin. As the series progresses, the Rider often learns more about the monsters in the series, other Kamen Riders or the origin of his powers. Early Kamen Riders were generally based on Grasshoppers, but this practice has only been done twice in the newer set of shows. Usually referred to as Rider Machines, motorcycles are an integral part of the series. Since 1971, Suzuki originally provided motorcycles for the series until ''Kamen Rider Agito'' when Honda became involved and the single Ducati featured in ''Kamen Rider Double''. Early Kamen Riders wore scarfs along with their costumes, but this practice was dropped after Kamen Rider Black until the appearance of Double. A trait shared among recent Kamen Riders is their ability to change forms and become stronger versions of themselves. The first power up appeared in Kamen Rider Stronger which was used by the title character. Kamen Rider BLACK RX had multiple forms, Roborider and Biorider. Since then, every title Kamen Rider in the Heisei era has had at least one power up with Double having the most at 14 throught his media appearances. All Shōwa era Riders gained their powers through some form of surgical alteration to their bodies, a practice seen only a few times. The Heisei era of Kamen Rider varies greatly in its use of Kamen Riders. Whereas all early Kamen Riders fought on the side of justice and peace, there have been numerous Kamen Riders in the Heisei era that have fought for personal reasons such as greed, revenge and the personal enjoyment of battle. Because of this, recent Kamen Riders have become less eager to immediately join the battle of justice. Rider finishers Combat techniques generally remain somewhat consistent between series. The "Rider Kick" has become known as the signature attack for Kamen Riders. Although no Heisei era Kamen Rider before Kamen Rider named their Rider Kick, it has still been a staple for every Kamen Rider series. Other variations include the Rider Chop and Rider Punch. Productions TV series ; Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー, Kamen Raidā?) ::Kamen Rider was the very first show in the franchise, airing from 1971 to 1973, the series set up many themes that are still used today. The series followed the battles of the first two Kamen Riders against Shocker and later Gelshocker. The series ran for 98 episodes, making it the longest series to date. Kamen Rider V3 (仮面ライダーＶ３, Kamen Raidā Buisurī?) ::Airing from 1973 to 1974, the series ran for 52 episodes and followed Shiro Kazami on his quest to gain revenge against the group that murdered his family. Later on, Riderman, the fourth Kamen Rider is introduced as the first long term villain Kamen Rider. The original Kamen Riders also make various appearances over the course of the series to help Kazami. Kamen Rider X (仮面ライダーＸ, Kamen Raidā Ekkusu?) ::The series aired in 1974 and ran for 35 episodes. Keisuke Jin and his father Kentaro Jin are attack by the G'overnment '''O'f 'D'arkness, Keisuke and Kentaro are both mortally wounded in the attack, but before he dies, Kentaro transforms his son into Kamen Rider X. Many of the monsters Kamen Rider X faced were based on Greek mythology and later on various animals. Kamen Rider Amazon (仮面ライダーアマゾン, Kamen Raidā Amazon?) ::Kamen Rider Amazon aired from 1974 to 1975, airing just 24 episodes, it is the shortest Kamen Rider series to date. Daisuke Yamamoto, an orphan lost in the Amazon has grown up with an Amazon tribe and lead a peaceful life until his tribe was attacked by Gorgos. Before dying, his tribe elder turned Daisuke into Kamen Rider Amazon. This was the first Kamen Rider not to use a belt to transform and the first series not to have any previous Kamen Riders appear, although Amazon meets his seniors in the next series. Kamen Rider Stronger (仮面ライダーストロンガー, Kamen Raidā Sutorongā?) ::Airing in 1975, this was intended to be the final Kamen Rider series and aired 39 episodes. Shigeru Jou joins Black Satan after the murder of his best friend and mentor. Knowing the organization to be the culprits, he allows himself to undergo an operation that changes him into Kamen Rider Stronger. Later on, Black Satan is defeated and a new group known as Delza becomes the series enemy. Stronger is later joined by Electro Wave Human Tackle, a female warrior who later sacrifices herself to save Stronger from a powerful opponent. This was also the first series to have a temporary power up for the main character. Kamen Rider (Skyrider) (仮面ライダー（スカイライダー）, Kamen Raidā (Sukairaidā)?) ::Airing 54 episodes from 1979 to 1980, Kamen Rider was intended to be a reboot of the franchise. Intended to be a remake of the original series, the idea was slowly phased out as references to the past were made and senior Kamen Riders made guest appearances. Hiroshi Tsukaba is kidnapped and transformed into Kamen Rider as a means to help Doctor Shiro escape Neoshocker. During the course of the series, former Kamen Riders appear and Kamen Rider is dubbed Skyrider by Kamen Rider Stronger to differentiate him from the original Kamen Riders. Kamen Rider Super-1 (仮面ライダースーパー１, Kamen Raidā Sūpā Wan?) ::Airing from 1980 to 1981, the series ran for 48 episodes. Wanting to become an astronaut, Kazuya Oki undergoes an operation that allows him to survive in space. The area were he is operated in is attacked by the Dogma Empire and Kamen Rider Super-1's peers are all killed. Super-1 has special gloves that allow for different attack types. Kamen Rider BLACK (仮面ライダーＢＬＡＣＫ, Kamen Raidā Burakku?) ::Airing from 1987 to 1988, the series ran for 51 episodes. After being kidnapped by the cult Gorgom on the night of their 19th birthday, stepbrothers Kotaro Minami and Nobuhiko Akizuki are submitted to a mutant surgery with the purpose of becoming the candidates to be the next Creation King. Kotaro escapes before the brainwashing, with help from his foster father, and turned against Gorgom. He soon finds out the horrific truth from his stepfather: Gorgom originally killed his true parents. Later on, Kamen Rider BLACK must battle with his brother, who has become the trump card of Gorgom, Shadow Moon. Kamen Rider BLACK RX (仮面ライダーＢＬＡＣＫ　ＲＸ, Kamen Raidā Burakku Aru Ekkusu?) ::Airing from 1988 to 1989 for 47 episodes, Kamen Rider BLACK RX is the ninth and final show in the Shōwa era of shows. Years after the defeat of Gorgom, Minami Kotaro is kidnapped by the Crisis Empire. After refusing to join them, he is thrust out into space where he undergoes the change to become Kamen Rider BLACK RX. This series marked the end of the Shōwa era of shows. Kamen Rider Kuuga (仮面ライダークウガ, Kamen Raidā Kūga?) ::Airing from 2000 to 2001 for 49 episodes, this was the first Kamen Rider series in 11 years and the start of the Heisei era of shows. Yuusuke Godai finds an ancient artifact that allows him to transform into Kamen Rider Kuuga to battle the Grongi forces. Having 11 forms, this series had more power ups than any before or after. Kamen Rider Agito (仮面ライダーアギト, Kamen Raidā Agito?) ::Kamen Rider Agito ran from 2001 to 2002 for 51 episodes. This was the first series to feature more than one Kamen Rider as the main character at the same time. Shouichi Tsugami has lost his memories, he lives with a foster family and fights against the Unknown as Kamen Rider Agito. Looking for the origin of his power and his lost memories, this series follows Kamen Rider Agito, G3, Gills and Another Agito. This was the last series to have any form of continuity with a previous series. Kamen Rider Ryuki (仮面ライダー龍騎, Kamen Raidā Ryūki?) ::Airing from 2002 to 2003, Kamen Rider Ryuki ran for 50 episodes and drastically changed the mold of Kamen Rider. Shinji Kido, a reporter, forms a bond with a creature known as a "Contract Beast". Becoming Kamen Rider Ryuki, Shinji joins the war of the 13 Kamen Riders. All fighting for various reasons, the winner of the war will be granted a single wish. Due to low ratings, this series was on the verge of cancellation for a time. Kamen Rider 555 (仮面ライダー555（ファイズ）, Kamen Raidā Faizu?) ::Airing from 2003 to 2004, Kamen Rider 555 aired for 50 episodes. A group of evolved humans known as Orphenochs are starting to take control of the world. It is unknown how much of the human population is not an Orphenoch. The Orphenochs are protected by a company called Smart Brain, the creators of the three rider belts. A young loner, Takumi Inui, is unwillingly drawn into the conflict between the Orphenochs and humans and becomes Kamen Rider Faiz to save the life of Mari Sonada. Among the Orphenochs are renegades who wish to fight to protect humans rather than kill them. The series follows Takumi, the renegade Orphenochs and two other Kamen Riders who are both enemies upon their entrance to the series. Kamen Rider Blade (仮面ライダー剣（ブレイド）, Kamen Raidā Bureido?) ::Airing from 2004 to 2005 for 49 episodes, Kamen Rider Blade returned to the card motif introduced in Kamen Rider Ryuki. Kenzaki Kazuma has just recently become the user for the Kamen Rider Blade system. Months after becoming a Kamen Rider, the BOARD agency that he is apart of is attacked and nearly wiped out. Trying to discover the reason behind the attack, Kenzaki unwittingly becomes part of the Battle Royale. Later joined by three Kamen Riders, Kenzaki ultimately has to make the toughest decision in his life and make a choice between his friends' happiness and the safety of the human race. Kamen Rider Hibiki (仮面ライダー響鬼（ヒビキ）, Kamen Raidā Hibiki?) ::Airing from 2005 to 2006, Kamen Rider Hibiki ran for 48 episodes. Kamen Rider Hibiki's main focus is the story of the teacher and apprentice-like relationship of Adachi Asumu and the title character. Adachi Asumu is a young boy who is unsure of his own skill and worth, and at a crossroads in his life as he transitions to high school. As the series progresses, he learns what it is to be a man, more confident in his own power. The secondary focus of the series is the age old battle of the Kamen Riders (referred to as Oni in this program) and the Makamo, demons that can only be defeated using "pure sound". The series follows the training and changes of the four main Oni, Hibiki, Ibuki, Todoroki and Zanki. The series was plagued by controversy behind the screen, starting with the firing of the principle writers and directors and later leading to drastically altered stories. Kamen Rider Kabuto (仮面ライダーカブト, Kamen Raidā Kabuto?) ::Airing from 2006 to 2007 for 49 episodes, Kamen Rider Kabuto was seen as a "return to the basics" after years of new styles and themed gimmicks. Kamen Rider Kabuto revolves around the story of a man named Souji Tendou. He has trained his entire life while waiting for the Kabuto Zecter so that he may properly take up the name of Kamen Rider Kabuto. Making many enemies while at the same time meeting other Riders with mysterious origins, Tendou attempts to accomplish his goal at all costs; Protecting Hiyori by destroying all other Worms that would make life difficult for her. Making a friend in Arata Kagami, who later becomes Kamen Rider Gatack, the two work together and protect Hiyori along with humanity from the alien Worms that arrived from a meteorite seven years ago. Kamen Rider Den-O (仮面ライダー電王, Kamen Raidā Den'ō?) ::Airing from 2007 to 2008 for 49 episodes, Kamen Rider Den-O follows the story of Ryotaro Nogami, a young man with incredibly bad luck who is discovered to be a Singularity Point, a human who can exist separate from time itself. When he is possessed by a future lifeform called an Imagin, he reluctantly becomes Den-O to fight the malignant Imagin that are traveling back in time to 2007 to grant the wishes of weak-hearted humans so they can travel back further and alter the course of history in their favor. He also tries to protect his sister Airi from the past that she cannot remember. He boards the time-traveling train called the Den-Liner and meets the brash and tomboyish Hana, the eccentric Owner, the waitress Naomi, and his own Imagin: Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros. Soon enough, a man named Yuto Sakurai appears and is another Kamen Rider who fights to protect time with the aid of his Imagin Deneb and the Zero-Liner. Kamen Rider Kiva (仮面ライダーキバ, Kamen Raidā Kiba?) :First airing in 2008, Kamen Rider Kiva revolves around two characters and two storylines: Wataru Kurenai who becomes Kamen Rider Kiva to battle the stained glass energy vampires known as Fangire in the year 2008 and his father Otoya Kurenai whose interactions with the Fangire and Fangire Hunters in the year 1986 directly affects the life of his son Kamen Rider Decade (仮面ライダーディケイド, Kamen Raidā Dikeido?) ::Translated variably as Masked Rider DCD or Masked Rider Decade, Decade premiered following the finale of Kiva in 2009 and was billed as the 10th anniversary of the Heisei Rider Series. In Decade, with no memory of his past, Tsukasa Kadoya must protect his dimension from being destroyed by the dimensions of the previous nine Kamen Riders by traveling to them to solve a problem and befriend the Kamen Rider. This in turn restores Decade's ability to transform into that Kamen Rider. Decade only aired for 31 episodes, the shortest amongst the year-long productions of previous series. It also has two movies that serve as epilogues. Kamen Rider Double (仮面ライダーW（ダブル）, Kamen Raidā Daburu?) ::Translated as Masked Rider Double, Double premiered in late 2009 following the finale of Decade and is the first series to feature two people, Shotaro Hidari and Philippe, who transform to a single-body Rider. The two work together as "half-boiled" detectives in the ecologically-minded city of Futo to solve mysterious crimes the police are powerless to prevent. Whenever these crimes end up being traced to monsters called Dopants, the two transform into Kamen Rider Double to stop them. Kamen Rider OOO (仮面ライダーオーズ／ＯＯＯ, Kamen Raidā Ōzu?) : Translated Masked Rider Ozu or Masked rider OOO, Is the twelfth series in the Heisei period run of the Kamen Rider Series, and the twenty-first overall. It began airing on September 5, 2010, the week following the conclusion of Kamen Rider Double. : ;Kamen Rider Fourze (仮面ライダーフォーゼ Kamen Raidā Fōze?) ='Kamen Rider Fourze'= TV Specials ;Shōwa era *1976: All Together! Seven Kamen Riders *1979: Immortal Kamen Rider Special *1984: Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!! *1987: Kamen Rider *1988: Kamen Rider ;Heisei era *2000: Kamen Rider *2001: Kamen Rider *2002: Kamen Rider *2004: Kamen Rider Blade: New Generation *2006: 35th Masked Rider Anniversary File Theatrical releases ;Shōwa era *1971: Go Go Kamen Rider *1971: Go Go Kamen Rider *1972: Kamen Rider Vs. Shocker *1972: Kamen Rider Vs. Hell Ambassador *1973: Kamen Rider V3 *1973: Kamen Rider V3 vs. the Destron Monsters *1974: Kamen Rider X *1974: Kamen Rider X: Five Riders Vs. King Dark *1975: Kamen Rider Amazon *1975: Kamen Rider Stronger *1980: Kamen Rider: Eight Riders vs. Galaxy King *1981: Kamen Rider Super-1 *1988: Kamen Rider BLACK: Hurry to Onigashima *1988: Kamen Rider BLACK: Fear! Evil Monster Mansion *1989: Kamen Rider: Stay in the World - 3-D theme park special special Heisei era *1993: Kamen Rider ZO (1) *1994: Kamen Rider J (1) *1994: Kamen Rider World - 3-D theme park special *2001: Kamen Rider Agito: Project G4 *2002: Kamen Rider Ryuki: Episode Final *2003: Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Lost *2004: Kamen Rider Blade: Missing Ace *2005: Kamen Rider Hibiki & The Seven Fighting Demons *2005: Kamen Rider The First *2006: Kamen Rider Kabuto: God Speed Love *2007: Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born! *2007: Kamen Rider The Next *2008: Kamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Deka *2008: Kamen Rider Kiva: King of the Castle in the Demon World *2008: Saraba Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown *2009: Cho Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Battleship *2009: Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker *2009: Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider: Double & Decade V-Cinema releases V-Cinema releases began appearing during the Heisei era of the franchise. Previously depicting independent Riders and storylines, current releases have been shorts part of the series that was currently airing. ;Heisei era *1992: Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue *1993: Kamen Rider - only Anime adaptation *1993: Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider *2000: Kamen Rider Kuuga: Versus the Strong Monster Go-Jiino-Da *2001: Kamen Rider Agito: Three rider TV-kun Special *2002: Kamen Rider Ryuki Hyper Battle: Kamen Rider Ryuki Versus Kamen Rider Agito *2003: Kamen Rider 555: The Musical *2004: Kamen Rider Blade: Blade vs Blade *2005: Kamen Rider Hibiki: Asumu Henshin: You can be an Oni too *2006: Kamen Rider Kabuto: Birth! Gatack Hyper Form! *2007: Kamen Rider Den-O: Singing, Dancing, Great Time!! *2008: Kamen Rider Kiva: You Can Also be Kiva *2009: Kamen Rider Decade: Protect! Motifs The most commonly seen theme in the Shōwa era was the grasshopper, a symbol that early Kamen Riders have become synonymous with. The Heisei era, however, explored other insects and sometimes even more extreme motifs such as other animals, the Greek alphabet, Card suits, and musical instruments. American adaptations In 1995, Saban produced the first American Masked Rider series after his success adapting Super Sentai into Power Rangers and Metal Heroes (VR Troopers & Beetleborgs). In 2008, a new series will be broadcast and produced by brothers Michael and Steve Wang. ;Saban's Masked Rider :Airing in 1995 and 1996, Masked Rider was originally presented as a spin-off of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Dex, prince of Edenoi, fled from his planet to the planet Earth at the request of his grandfather. Count Dregon soon followed after in an attempt to steal the Masked Rider powers from Dex. The Masked Rider powers have been passed down through the ages to warriors of immense courage and purity and would bring about the end of the world if they ever fall into the wrong hands. On Earth, Dex poses as a high school student while living with the Stewarts, a family that has agreed to take him in. The footage in this series came from Kamen Rider Black RX as well as the movies, Kamen Rider J and Kamen Rider ZO. ;Kamen Rider Dragon Knight :Airing in 2009, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight featured 12 warriors known as Kamen Riders who protect the parallel world of Ventara from the evil General Xaviax by using their Advent Decks. With most of the Kamen Riders stripped of their powers, Xaviax comes to Earth to give corrupt humans Advent Decks and become Kamen Riders under his control. Kit Taylor, who finds the Advent Deck to allow him to become Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight teams up with Len who can transform into Kamen Rider Wing Knight to defeat General Xaviax and save Kit's father who was captured by Xaviax and is held in Ventara. The footage in Dragon Knight came from Kamen Rider Ryuki. Homages and parodies The Kamen Rider franchise has been parodied in various productions, both in and outside of Japan. One of the main trademarks being parodied is the Kamen Rider Henshin pose. In video games, Skullomania (from Street Fighter) and May Lee (from King of Fighters) are some examples of Kamen Rider parodies, as well as Viewtiful Joe. In anime, various aspects of Kamen Rider are noticeable. Examples range from Tokyo Pig to My-HiME and its sequel My Otome to Dragonball Z; either being used as a comical parody or homage. Live action wise, known parodies of Kamen Rider include '''Kamen Renaider (by SMAP's Takuya Kimura and Shingo Katori), which is a parody skit of Ryuki, Kamen Zaiber a parody of the original, Kamen Norida (by the Tunnels, a popular Japanese comedy duo), a parody of Ichigo and the first series, Kamen Rider HG Hard Gay's parody of the original for a Japanese TV show, and Ridermen a short skit of a man called Ridermen (an obvious parody of the Riderman) on the set of Kamen Rider. References External links TV Asahi *[http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kiva/ Kamen Rider Kiva] *[http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/den-o/ Kamen Rider Den-O] *[http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kabuto Kamen Rider Kabuto] *[http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/hibiki Kamen Rider Hibiki] *[http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/blade Kamen Rider Blade] *[http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/555 Kamen Rider 555] *[http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ryuki Kamen Rider Ryuki] Toei *[http://www.toei-video.co.jp/DVD/sp21/riderguide.html Kamen Rider series on DVD] *[http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/kiva/ Kamen Rider Kiva] *[http://www.toei-video.co.jp/archive/ridernext/ Kamen Rider The Next] *[http://tvarc.toei.co.jp/tv/den-o/index.asp Kamen Rider Den-O] *[http://www.toei-video.co.jp/DVD/sp21/rider1st.html Kamen Rider The First] *[http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/kabuto Kamen Rider Kabuto] *[http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/hibiki Kamen Rider Hibiki] *[http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/blade Kamen Rider Blade] *[http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/555 Kamen Rider 555] *[http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/ryuki Kamen Rider Ryuki] *[http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/agito Kamen Rider Agito] Others *[http://www.ishimoripro.com Ishimori@Style] - Shotaro Ishinomori with Ishimori Productions Official Website *[http://www.igadevil.com Igadevil's Kamen Rider Page] - Fansite with information and photos on Kamen Rider TV series, movies, and much more. Category:Kamen Rider Series Category:Kamen Rider Wiki